March 6, 2026 | pinot, pinot, pinotage

Pinot, Pinot, Pinotage

This tasting is in celebration of the underdogs. The overlooked, the under appreciated, the misunderstood. We're tired of pinot noir getting all the screen time. So this week, we're tasting pinot grigio and pinotage, two grapes that have historically suffered from a degradation of reputation due to overproduction and sacrifices in quality and intentionality.

Originating in Burgundy, pinot gris is perhaps best known as a mutation of pinot noir, mentioned in the early writings of the Roman historians and the beginnings of the Roman Republic. Later, the grape would arrive in Switzerland, with Cistercian monks planting it extensively in Hungary and Italy (hello, pinot grigio) by 1375.

Pinotage, on the other hand, has a much different origin story. We'll have to go back to 1924, when Professor Abraham Izak Perold, a viticulturist at Stellenbosch University began experimenting with crossing pinot noir and cinsault in his garden.  Originally an academic and intellectual pursuit, the goal was to combine pinot noir's elegance with cinsault's resilience and heartiness. The resulting grape was almost lost, but a young academic, Dr. Charlie Niehaus rescued the seedlings and saved them from obscurity. Fast forward to 1935, when the grapevine was grafted onto rootstock, enabling pinotage to finally flourish. The first pinotage wine was successfully bottled just six years later by CT de Waal. 

With such storied lineages, it's surprising that more attention isn't granted to these two varietals. Instead, we rely on the tropes of pinot grigio being a "happy hour" pour and as for pinotage... well, maybe your grandfather will like it. Let's subvert this line of thinking! Let's give these pinots more screen time!  Diversify our portfolio, if you will. We're hoping the bottles below will be a restorative experience for us all. 

The Lineup: Redentore Pinot Grigio Venezia DOC 2023; St. Reginald Parish 'The Marigny' Pinot Gris Willamette Valley 2024; Scions of Sinai 'Nomadis' W.O. Stellenbosch 2021

Read on to learn more about what we're sampling, then stop by on Friday from 4-7pm to try them yourself!

Redentore Pinot Grigio Venezia DOC 2023

St. Reginald Parish 'The Marigny' Pinot Gris Willamette Valley 2024

Scions of Sinai 'Nomadis' W.O. Stellenbosch 2021